


Sledgehammer

by wednesdays__child



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Dubious Consent, Established Relationship, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Tentacles, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-02 05:25:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8652652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wednesdays__child/pseuds/wednesdays__child
Summary: The Sonorans have a contest every millennia to find the smartest person in the universe to share with The Mouth of the Knowledge. Pavel won but the prize may be more than they any of them bargained for. Now Leonard must do what he can to save his lover's life.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [To Be Seen](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3894541) by [VincentMeoblinn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VincentMeoblinn/pseuds/VincentMeoblinn). 



> Inspired by the song “Sledgehammer” by Rihanna which I have been listening to obsessively. 
> 
> Unbetaed. Sorry. All mistakes are my own. 
> 
> This is my emotional response to the awful news of Anton Yelchin’s tragic death. 
> 
> Elements and ideas of this story are borrowed from and inspired by the film “Lucy” by Luc Beeson and the fanfic “To Be Seen” by VincentMeoblinn.

**The Beginning**

Leonard “Bones” McCoy sat at the bar in 10 Forward, nursing his fourth bourbon, just waiting for the inevitable. Soon enough, he felt the presence at his left elbow as he rolled the slowly dwindling ice cube about the bottom of his glass.

“Jim,” he whispered, his voice rougher and tighter than he expected.

“Hey, Bones,” Jim replied. Leonard turned at that. He was shocked at the subdued tone of the captain’s voice. He’d only ever heard Jim like that a few other times. Unfortunately the occasion was always the same. “Figured I’d find you here.”

When Leonard failed to respond, Jim continued. “It was a nice service. People expected you to be there.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” he growled out. “But pardon the fuck out of me if I don’t go to a funeral for someone who ain’t dead.”

There was more heat behind the words than he’d intended. He held no hard feelings toward the captain. He was just doing what the crew wanted and they wanted to say goodbye to their friend. But for Bones, there was no goodbye.

He would never say goodbye.

_***Previously***_

“This is very exciting, don’t you think?” Pavel asked as he bounced alongside the scowling doctor.

Leonard did his very best to suppress the warm smile that threatened to break across the surface but it poked out behind his fierce façade as he grumbled, “Yeah, so exciting. Heading down to a weird planet so the smartest of the smarts can battle it out to see who get to 'share with 'The Mouth of the Knowledge'.”

Pavel simply snorted a small chuckle before pressing lightly into the doctor’s side. “You are not happy for me?” he teased, a small pout gracing his lips. “Is great honor to be asked to join the contest. The Sonorans only hold the ritual once in a millennia. And the Enterprise has three members competing.”

“’Course I’m happy for you, Pasha,” Leonard agreed quietly, one side of his mouth turned up in a small smile. “Just don’t like all this pomp and circumstance is all. Too much ritual makes me itchy. Makes me wonder if something's up.”

“Always so protective of me,” the Ensign practically purred as he stopped the older man just before the door to the transporter room. He leaned in slowly before pressing his lips to the other man’s. Leonard smiled then, finally getting what he wanted, a little bit of his lover’s attention out of this whole ordeal. They slotted together, leaning in and holding on as the kiss deepened.

“Hang on just a minute, Bones! Don’t want to suck all the smart out of the boy before he gets a chance to show off.”

Reluctantly Leonard pulled away to turn and glare at the Captain.

“Thanks a lot, Jim,” he grumbled.

Jim Kirk slapped him hard on the shoulder – same spot as always – and began to drag a smiling Pavel with him into the transporter room. “Sorry, man, but we’ve got to hurry. Spock and Scotty are already planetside and if Chekov misses the initial ceremony, he won’t get to play 20 questions with The Mouth of the Knowledge. You guys can make kissy-face later.”

Leonard shook his head as he watched his best friend and his lover stride into the transporter room, smiling and laughing about the contest ahead. Honestly, he just couldn’t wait for it all to be over so he could get his Pasha back where he belonged; in his arms and his bed.


	2. The Contest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chekov participates in the contest on Sonorus. Leonard watches and waits.

Leonard groaned as they started in again. This contest had been going on for hours and now there were only four competitors left; Spock, another Vulcan, a Sonoran and Chekov. For all it was boring, Leonard had to admit it was, for lack of a better word, fascinating. The Sonorans had assembled the best and brightest to test their knowledge and problem-solving skills to determine who was worthy to communicate with 'The Mouth', the cornerstone of their civilization, rumored to be the keeper of all knowledge and holding the capability to gain new and untold solutions to the universe's secrets.

Seemed like a bunch of fairytale fodder to McCoy. 

Despite being an intelligent man, the doctor had to admit that most of the information being bandied about went over his head - like way over his head. Even Jim had a hard time keeping up now and then, and that said a lot. Leonard couldn't help but beam knowing that his lover was not only holding his own, but he was doing really well. The contest was only held once every millennia of the Sonorans lifetimes which equated to nearly one thousand two hundred and seventeen Terran years. This was the first time that the Federation had been allowed to participate and the fact that three members had been invited was shocking. The fact that two were still in the running was unheard of. 

Cheers rose high in the air as the answer to the latest problem was revealed. Now it was down to two - Chekov and the Sonoran were the last ones left. Leonard did his best not to beam with pride. He failed miserably.

The last two were nearly evenly matched and the contest went on for hours. Just when Leonard thought this would never end, a call went up and all the Sonorans began to shout. As he watched in awe, Chekov was surrounded by cheering and smiling aliens, all wanting to touch the young Ensign. Beyond all belief, Pavel had won.

The younger man sought him out in the crowd and when their eyes met, Pavel's face broke out in the biggest, most blinding smile Leonard had ever seen. And it was for him, only for him. 

He closed in on his genius and Chekov darted forward, clinging to the smiling doctor.

"Did you see?" Pavel shouted over the crowds.

"What do you think I've been doing for hours, Pasha? Painting my nails?" When his lover chuckled lightly, Leonard pulled him in close to whisper into his lover's ear. "I saw how you beat them all with that big ol' brain of yours. Too bad they don't know what else you got that's big, right? Of course, most of it went over my head but I might have understood a thing or two."

Pavel gasped and laughed before pushing lightly at the doctor's chest. "Leonard," he complained. "You are a very smart man. I'm very sure you understand more than you say. You try to flatter me, I think." Suddenly, despite himself, Leonard pulled the younger man in close before softly claiming his lips, damn the audience around them.

They smiled at each other before Pavel was pulled away, needing to complete his duties as the winner of the contest. Of course, there was more ceremony that had to happen complete with food and drink and dance. Leonard was starting to get itchy. He just wanted to get back to the ship with his lover, to show him how proud he was of the brilliant young man. And he was. Extremely proud. And shocked, as he always was, that this amazingly smart, gorgeous man was his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try to post at least one chapter a week, most likely on Fridays. I am busy this week so this one is a little early. These first few chapters are short but they will get longer and more fulfilling - promise!
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	3. The Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is always a ceremony and Leonard hates ceremony.

*************

The final part of the ceremony had come. The Sonorans were leading Pavel up to the dais that held the statue of The Mouth of the Knowledge to finish the ceremony over a thousand years in the making. Turning his head one last time to smile at Leonard, Chekov took his spot before the large statue. As he had been directed, Leonard watched as the Ensign stepped forward, turning his hands, palms up. Slowly, what looked like the smooth, marble surface of the base of the statue began to move and shift before it changed, suddenly a mottled blue-black blob slowly reached out toward Chekov. The young Ensign began to step backward but suddenly the two blobs - _tentacles, Leonard's mind supplied frantically_ \- trapped both his wrists, immobilizing him.

"Wait a second!" Leonard shouted as he jumped from his seat, followed by Jim and the rest of the crew.

Before anyone could get down to help, two more tentacles shot out - smaller and pointed at the ends. One pierced Pavel in the abdomen, causing the young man to cry out. As soon as his mouth was open in horror, the other tentacle slid into his mouth before squirming its way down his throat. Leonard watched in horror as they began to expand and pulse as they pumped a thick looking blue-black goo into the young man's body, the force of it so extreme, some of it spilled from his nose. The crew of the Enterprise was now pressing forward, pushing to get to their crewmate. 

Leonard screamed his lover's name over and over as he tried to get to the younger man. This was unthinkable, worse than anything that they had ever encountered before. Finally, the pulsing ceased and the tentacles quickly retreated as they sank back into the statue, dropping Chekov to the ground in an undignified heap. The Sonorans parted as Leonard darted to the dais, gathering the unconscious man in his arms.

"Enterprise! Two to beam up directly to Med Bay. NOW!"

He felt the familiar pull, that sensation he normally hated but needed more than anything right now, and then they were gone.


	4. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting early since the last chapter was so short. I hope you like.

*************

He'd been working for just over an hour and nothing was working. Leonard cursed under his breath as once again the vitals changed right before his eyes. It was the damnedest thing he had ever seen. The goop that the Sonorans had poured into Chekov's body had crusted around the wound in his abdomen and they had been unable to remove it. He watched in horror as every time he tried something to stabilize the young man's vitals, they would spike or change and he would have to start all over. Somehow the substance had completely attached itself to Pavel's DNA and there was no way to remove it. It was impossible.

Once again, Leonard watched in disbelief as the Ensign's vitals spiked and he began to seize. Looking back at the way the changes were progressing, the doctor took an educated guess and thought three steps ahead, just like his lover would do. Quickly fabricating the hypo, he waited until just the right moment before pressing it into his lover's neck and injecting him. Stepping back, he waited for several tense moments then, suddenly, Pavel settled and his vitals evened out.

His head falling back, Leonard was so relieved he nearly burst into tears. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward to touch the hot, sweat-slicked skin, just to reassure himself that he was still there, still with him. 

"Doctor McCoy," Nurse Chappell whispered quietly, "Look at this."

Leonard slowly followed where Christine was directing him. In astonishment, Leonard looked at the display and froze. There was no way this could be. There was no way.

"His cognitive output," the nurse whispered, "It's increasing. It's slow. But it's increasing."

Most people believed that Terrans only used about ten percent of their brains, but Bones knew that wasn't necessarily true. Depending on the person and the activity they were involved in, cognitive output could be anywhere from ten to just under twenty percent. Chekov generally hovered in the upper teens during routine checkups, but now...now his cognitive output was at twenty-two - no, twenty-three percent.

"That's not possible," Leonard murmured, mostly to himself. "Especially when he is unconscious."

"But it's happening," Nurse Chappell answered, leaning over the doctor's shoulder as it ticked up another percentage point.

"Yeah." 

Now? Now he was worried.


	5. The Wait

*************

They stood in the doctor's office, staring at each other. Leonard glanced over at Uhura who was bent over with her face in her hands. She'd stopped crying a while ago but her breath still hitched every once in a while as she continued to try to contain herself. She had come in not long after McCoy had gotten Chekov stabilized, Spock at her side. They explained, in no small terms, how she had mistranslated the Sonorans original message. Their language had been more intricate and imposing than she had originally accounted for. Between herself and Spock, they had discovered that the contest was designed not for the smartest person to "share" with the Mouth of the Knowledge but to "join" with the Mouth of the Knowledge. 

The thought made Leonard's stomach roll.

Now they needed to decide what to do next. 

Jim, of course, wanted to go down there and figure out who he needed to talk to get some answers, even if he needed to use force. Spock thought that was illogical, of course. Leonard? He just wanted to fix what was wrong with his lover and crewmate.

"We need answers," Sulu nearly growled. "We need to figure this out."

"So let's go down there and get some answers!" Jim shouted.

"Captain," Spock said reasonably, "This is the first time anyone was ever had any contact with the Sonorans. This is extremely important to the Federation. This type of situation requires a certain amount of subtlety."

"I can be subtle," Jim argued.

"Subtle as a sledgehammer," Leonard grumbled.

"We need answers," Sulu argued again.

They looked at each other, expressions tight and wary.

"Let's do it then," Kirk whispered. 

They all nodded.

Leonard watched them leave, knowing they were heading to the transporter room but he wasn't going anywhere. He'd wait for the answers he hoped they get back. He'd wait here for Chekov to wake up.


	6. 35

It was nearly an hour later as Leonard stood at Chekov's bedside. He'd been obsessively checking and rechecking the young Ensign's vital signs. They had all even out except for his cognitive output which was still slowly climbing higher. It was odd and, quite frankly, freaking Leonard out.

Suddenly, just as the readout hit thirty-five percent, Pavel's eyes snapped open. 

"Pavel!" Leonard shouted as he leaned down to run his fingertips over the younger man's cheek. 

"Hello, Len," the younger man answered softly, as if nothing was wrong. 

They stared at each other for several long minutes, Leonard at a loss for things to say as Chekov stared, his gaze piercing and searching. Finally Pavel smiled before deftly sitting up on the med table.

"How long have I been out?" Pavel asked.

"I...I don't know," the doctor whispered, still in shock as he stared at his lover looking whole and happy. It just didn't seem possible. "Over an hour. Feels like a lifetime."

Suddenly, Chekov turned his head to look at the wall display before answering his own question. "Eighty-seven minutes. Not bad. There is much to do."

"Not so fast, Ensign," McCoy said as his hand darted out to stop the young man before he could get off the bed. "You're still injured and we need to figure out what is going on before I can let you leave. Do you even remember what happened down there?"

"Of course I do," Pavel snapped as his eyes turned cold. "I was there. I remember it all but there is..."

"Much to do, heard you the first time." Leonard repeated. "But I need you to stay here, at least until the Captain comes back."

"He is on the surface, yes?"

"Yes."

"He will not get the answers he wants."

"But you'll wait here for him?"

"If you wish it. At least for a little while."

Leonard smiled at that. At least he was still his Pasha somehow. "Thank you, Little One."

The smile on Chekov's face was beautiful, gloriously brilliant and all for Leonard as he heard the term of endearment that he only used in private. 

"May I have a PADD while I wait?"

Leonard nodded as Nurse Chappell scrambled behind him to find one for the injured Ensign. Chekov took it with a smile and sat back and furiously began to type. Leonard understood when he was being summarily dismissed, so he moved away to check the vital signs once more before he called the Captain back to the ship. 

*************

"There is not enough," Chekov complained as he sat another PADD down on the bed next to him before reaching for another. Again, he began to furiously type away, muttering to himself under his breath.

"Not enough what?" Leonard asked, moving the three other PADDs out of the way.

"Storage," Pavel answered shortly. "Not enough storage. There is too much information to put out. Too much to give. My mind is full and I can't it out fast enough."

"Pavel?" McCoy started tentatively. "Pasha. What happened? What is happening to you?"

Warm, gray eyes turned to him and the boy smiled. "It is okay, Leonard. I will be okay. I am just becoming."

"Becoming what?"

"What I was meant to be."

Suddenly the doors to the Med Bay opened and the Away Team stormed in, Kirk all but pulling his hair out in frustration. 

"This is ridiculous!" he shouted. "All they did was talk in circles and kept saying the same thing about finding the one and...hey, Chekov! You're awake."

"Apparently, Captain," Pavel said with a smile. "May I go now?"

Kirk looked over at the doctor with a shocked look on his face. "Is he okay?"

"You can see for yourself, can't you?"

Kirk walked over to the young Ensign before placing his hands on the slim shoulders. "Pavel, what happened to you? Are you alright?"

"I won," Pavel whispered so low that the Captain had to lean down to try and hear him clearly. "And now I am becoming."

They all looked at each other, unsure as to what to do, what to say. With a smile, Pavel jumped off the bed, acting like he hadn't just been impaled by a giant tentacle and pumped full of god knows what. 

"But now I must go. I need to find more storage."

Kirk looked at McCoy and quirked a single eyebrow. Leonard shrugged and shook his head. 

"Alright, Chekov," Kirk said, still unsure as to what was going on. "Go with him Bones. Keep him safe."

"I'll do my best Captain," Bones replied, following the excited Ensign out of the Med Bay, "I'll do my best."


	7. 45

*************

**45**

Leonard had followed Pavel around the ship, listening as the young man rattled off figures and numbers and complex equations like Jim rattled off the measurements of all the female crewmates. First he had run down to Engineering and talked some of his theories to Scotty and Keenser before stopping at one of the computer bays, typing madly.

Leonard watched silently for a while, simply observing before he watched the young man sway on his feet. The doctor jumped forward and caught the young Ensign around the waist, steadying him before forcing him away from the terminal.

"Come on, Pavel," he whispered into the soft curls. "You've got to be starving and exhausted. Let's go get you some food and put you to bed."

When the younger man tried to complain, he quieted him with a single finger against his lips. "No arguments, Ensign. You spent all day at the contest, you were impaled by tentacles and now you are still recovering. You need to eat and sleep, in that order, and I won't take no for an answer."

"Fine," Pavel complained, his voice wavering slightly. "I will do this for you, Leonard."

Satisfied with his compliance, the doctor maneuvered the young man down the hallway toward his own quarters. He was supporting a majority of Pavel's weight as they passed through the corridors. Finally making it to the door, Leonard quickly keyed in his entry code and settled his lover down on the small couch in his sitting room.

"What do you feel like?" he asked as he stepped up to the replicator. "Breakfast? I can make us some waffles or omelettes. Maybe dinner? I can do those pierogies you like."

"Soup," Pavel whispered, his voice soft and distant. 

"Soup?" Leonard asked, suddenly worried that the younger man was now feeling ill. "Are you feeling all right? Nauseated or anything?"

"No," he chuckled. "Nothing like that. I was thinking tomato soup and grilled cheese. Just like then."

_Then_. Leonard smiled knowing exactly what Pavel was talking about. It had been their first date - if you could call it that. The first time they talked - really talked, they first time they kissed, the first time he knew that maybe his heart could learn to love again.

"Okay," he said, smiling that private smile that only Pavel ever saw. "I'll get it started." Stepping up to the replicator, he quickly put in the order and settled the food on the small table for the both of them. He then assisted the younger man to his place and settled in his own chair. 

He watched as the younger man smiled down at the dinner before him, warm, flavorful and familiar. Pavel quickly took a sip of thick, creamy soup before crunching into the cheesy sandwich. He sighed before looking up into the doctor's dark chocolate colored eyes.

"Tell me the story," he asked quietly.

"What story?" Leonard asked, confused.

"The story of our first date, the first time we ate this."

Pasha loved to hear this, loved to relive that first wonderful, awful, amazing first date. Clearing his throat, Leonard began.

"It was just over a year into our mission when I began to notice that a certain young Ensign kept making his way into my Med Bay. He was young and handsome and would spend hours coming into my office to fix one thing or another. He looked at my replicators and my autoclave machines and my monitors. He improved the efficiency of almost every damned machine in my Med Bay but he just kept coming by. He'd come and sit and talk about some of the crazy things he had seen or read and never made me feel weird for hanging out with someone so much younger than me.

"Then one day, the persistent young man suggested that we should spend some more time together, you know, away from work, out of the Med Bay. I was stunned. Why would this beautiful, intelligent man do such a thing? Why would he want to spend time with me? I mean, I'm just a crumpy old man with too much baggage and a drinking problem. But apparently I didn't have enough sense to look past all that so I agreed."

He stopped for a moment, taking a quick drink of his tea before continuing. 

"When that day came around, I had completely forgotten I'd even made the date when the young man showed up at my door, smiling like a loon despite my bad mood. Jocelyn had finally messaged me with news about Joanna. My girl had played in her first piano recital. Her first piano recital and I missed it. She needs her dad and I was off planet on some god forsaken mission and I missed it. I'll bet all the other dads were there and I was off playing space cowboy."

His head dropped, the pain still there despite the fact that he knew what he was doing was right for all of them, what was for the best. Joanna was old enough to understand, had told him how proud she was of him, but it still hurt. Suddenly, a warm hand covered his own. Pavel took over the story then.

"The look on the doctor's face when he opened the door was very sad. He had obviously been drinking, trying to be drowning his sorrows. I could not let that happen. He deserved to be happy always and I was determined to make this happen."

"I was eating Joanna's favorite comfort meal," Leonard continued.

"Creamy tomato busque and grill cheese."

"Tomato bisque and grilled cheese," the doctor corrected, a small smile gracing his face. "I wanted to send you away. I was totally ready to just spend the entire night drowing my sorrows in Kentucky bourbon but you insisted on coming in, in joining me, in continuing this stupid idea of a date."

"Instead, you invited me in and made me dinner," Pavel smiled down at his nearly finished meal. "This meal right here. I had never had such a thing before. Comfort food, you called it. For me, comfort food is pierogies or latkes. But this? I learned to enjoy this comfort food. It is delicious, just like you."

"It's things like that, Pasha," Leonard chuckled as he finished up his soup. "It's always so disarming to hear you say things like that and know that you actually mean me."

"You say so many untrue things, Leonard."

"What? Like I'm an old man who doesn't deserve someone like you?"

"Exactly like," Pavel whispered, his eyes full of care and love and it made Leonard's heart constrict with the emotion of it all.

"I tried to make you go away, tried to show you exactly what you were getting yourself into..."

"But I refused to leave...."

"I called you something stupid, I think..."

"A silly Russian genius who doesn't know any better is exactly what you said..."

"And suddenly you stood up and I figured I'd finally done it. I'd finally made you mad enough that you were ready to leave..."

"But I did not leave."

Pavel rose from his seat before slipping around the table toward him. "No, you didn't leave. You slipped into my lap," he said as Pavel did just that, "Smiling at me with the secret smile that says that you know something no one else knows."

"Yes," Pavel whispered as he settled himself on the older man's lap, straddling him easily with his long, lithe limbs. "And what I knew then is what I know now, my dear doctor. You protest so much to hide and protect yourself. You have been hurt but I will not hurt you, not like that, not like you have been before."

"And then you cupped my face and kissed me. It was the soft, sweetest kiss and I knew I was lost. I'd be ruined for anyone else ever again."

Then his Pasha leaned in and did just that. It started off as just a soft brush of his lips before the younger man pressed in closer, wrapped around him and all Leonard could hear, taste, feel was the tantalizing man kissing him. 

Once he pulled away, Pasha leaned his forehead against his lover's. They stayed like that for a long time, staring into each other's eyes, sharing their breath.

"What is happening, Pasha?" Leonard whispered, his voice harsh and desperate, emotion nearly choking him. "What is happening to you?"

Pavel kissed him again just as gently filled with just as much love. "Not now, Leonard," he begged, his voice just as rough. "Take me to bed."

"You need sleep," Leonard answered, running his hands over the strong back of the man in his lap. "You were impaled, Pasha. I saw it. I saw when that thing went inside you and I thought you were dead. You can't know what that did to me."

"Shhh," Pavel shushed him, running his hands over his shoulders and neck, trying to comfort him as he trembled with the barely restrained emotion. "I'm here now, Love. Take me to bed."

"Yes," Leonard gasped as he quickly stood. gripping the slim thighs and wrapping the long legs around his waist. He felt more than heard Pavel gasp as he made his way toward his bed. "To sleep. I think we both need it."

"Very well," Pavel agreed, smiling as he was settled down on the soft covers. He laid quiet, compliant, while Leonard slowly stripped first the younger man and then himself. "You need the rest as much as I do, I think, yes?"

"Yes," he repeated, sliding under the covers and pulling Pavel close. "Yes I do."

"Sleep now, my Love," his Pasha whispered against his chest as they both began to drift off. "I will be waiting right here when you wake."

As sleep claimed him, Leonard hoped that was true.


	8. 75

**75**

Leonard sighed and gasped at the delicious sensations slowly waking him. The trail of soft fingertips over his warmed skin, soft lips kissing and warm tongue licking was stimulating and tantalizing and he debated whether he wanted to wake up or remain in this dream. Slowly, his eyelashes fluttered and he opened his eyes to see the lovely shine of grey eyes smiling down at him.

"What time is it?" he asked, his voice rough with sleep.

Pavel chuckled lightly with that cheeky smirk that Leonard loved so much. "That's all I get? What time is it? Perhaps I need to be working on my skills of seduction then?"

Leonard practically growled as he pulled the younger man to him, sprawling him against his broad chest. "I'm always up to letting you practice," he teased, tilting the younger man's chin up to gently kiss him breathless. 

Pavel moaned and arched against him, rubbing his slim, soft body against Leonard's bigger, stronger one. Quickly, the younger man straddled him, his knees pressing against into the mattress on either side of his hips. Leonard looked up at his lover, always so surprised by how stunning the other man was to him. But something was wrong. Leonard reached out, trailing over the smooth skin, too smooth. The spot where Pavel had been impaled just a few short hours before was perfect - completely healed. Leonard had done his best but being impaled by a marble tentacle and pumped full of some unknown goo should have left a mark. But there was none. He continued to explore. Every mark, every scar that Pavel had once displayed was somehow miraculously gone. The scar on the inside of his bicep from when he fell off a horse when he was five had disappeared, as had the marks on his right knee from when he tripped during the Starfleet Academy marathon and had continued to run despite the blood pouring from the open wound. 

"What..?" he asked, unable to form a complete question. "What is happening?"

"Shhh," Pavel whispered, leaning down over the body beneath him and pressing soft kisses to his lips. "Let me, please. Let me please now."

Pavel's hands ran over Leonard's body, touching, teasing, and the doctor bit his lips to hold in his moans.

"No Leonard," Pavel whispered. "I want to hear you. Need to hear you. Please Love. Let me hear you."

Leonard pressed his head further down into the pillows behind him as he let out a low moan, his back arching as he tried to get more of that addictive touch. Everything Pasha was doing was driving him crazy and shorting out his brain. So when the younger man began to travel down his body, his lips and tongue branding him everywhere they touched, he eagerly spread his knees, opening up to the other man. Pavel settled in that tempting V of limbs, looking up into Leonard's dark eyes before licking a stripe straight up his aching cock.

"Pasha," he moaned, a long, drawn out sound that was half pleasure, half pain. When the head was engulfed by that sweet, wet heat, he nearly came undone. "Please, baby," he groaned. "I'm too close."

Strong fingers wrapped around the base of his erection and he cursed as it quickly stopped his completion. Hazel eyes met brown and Pavel licked him again, a small smirk on his perfect features. "Let me have you, Leonard. Please? This one time. Let me have you."

McCoy was taken back a little bit. Pavel had asked and they had played around with the idea but this was so far outside of his comfort zone that it had been slow going and Pavel was always willing to bottom so they never pushed it past a little bit of finger play. But now? His Pasha had nearly died today and something was happening to him. It was off and it was wrong and he was afraid he was still going to lose this sweet, beautiful man.

"Yes," he whispered, rough and quiet. "Take me, Pasha."

The younger man moaned as he shot up the body beneath him to ravish Leonard's mouth. It was like he was trying to devour him and Leonard loved every clash of teeth, the press of lips, the brush of tongues. Pavel scrambled in the drawer of the side table until he pulled back with the slick in his hand.

Quickly, he made his way back down, settling between Leonard's knees once again. Coating his fingers, he made his way back to his lover before slowly sliding inside. It was just one finger but it set Leonard on fire. He arched his back and rolled his hips, pressing the digit even further inside. Pavel took his time, making sure to add plenty of lube and take plenty of time. He made sure to curl the digit every third thrust and brush against the spot that made Leonard buck and whine. He made to continue but Leonard stopped him. 

"No Pasha," he gasped. "I'm ready. I'm ready for you now. Please."

"Yes Leonard," Pavel answered, moving into position and staring down at him. One last pass of his hand to slick his hard cock and the younger man was ready. Bracing himself over his lover, Pavel positioned himself before slowly pressing in. They both stopped. They both gasped. They forgot to breathe. They forgot everything except this moment, this connection, this need.

It hurt, sure, but it was bearable. Pavel had done a good job preparing him and Leonard really did want more. He took a deep breath and then let it out, relaxing his body and letting Pasha in, sliding all the way home. Fully seated, Pavel let out the breath he was holding and looked down at him. 

"Leonard," he whispered, his voice full of awe and wonder. "Leonard, this is...it's so...I can't say. There are no words."

But Leonard understood. Of course he did. He felt like this every time he and Pavel made love. Every single time was like the first time, hot, tight and perfect. He gasped lightly as Pasha pushed in a little further and bumped that spot inside him that drove every thought out of his head. 

"Please, Pash..." he began to beg but never ot the words all the way out before Pavel pulled out and slammed back in. He set a harsh pace, his hips pulling back and slamming forward. They were both panting, gasping, reaching for each other as Pavel took and gave and took some more. Leonard lifted his legs, trapping the younger man close to him, clinging to him in his passion. 

Suddenly, Pavel pulled back enough to look him in the eyes. "Leonard, I love you," he cried. When he looked into the normally grey eyes to see the truth shining there, he was surprised to see them a swirling blue-black, nearly glowing in the low light of the room. "I can see it all, Leonard. I can see the pleasure pulsing under your skin. I can see the sweat sparkling on your skin. I can see the love all around you. I can see it all."

"Pasha," he answered, unable to hold back the pleasure any longer. "Please now, Pasha. With me."

"Yes," Pavel shouted, his hips thrust once, twice and once more before he stilled and shouted in the small room. Leonard felt the pulsing inside him and followed right behind, gasping through the most intense orgasm he'd ever had. Just as it began to crest, Pasha leaned down and sank his teeth into the soft juncture between neck and shoulder. He cried out as he began to pulse again, riding a new wave of pleasure and pain.

They stayed like that for several long minutes, Pavel kissing and touching every little bit of flesh he could reach while Leonard tried to catch his breath. When Leonard tried to move, Pasha stopped him.

"No Leonard, please. Just a few moments. Let me stay inside you. Just these last few moments."

He always had a hard time denying his Pasha anything and he was loathe to do so now, so he relaxed and let his love remain as he wished, deep inside and secure. At least for now, all seemed perfect.


	9. 85

*************

**85**

Awareness pressed against Leonard even as sleep tried to keep him under its spell. He wasn’t ready to wake, not just yet, but something was wrong and he knew he needed to move and move now. He’d fallen asleep with Pasha on him, in him, and now he was cold and alone. He slowly opened this eyes and the room slowly came into focus.

Next to his bed stood his Pasha, his intent grey eyes watching him, never blinking.

It made Leonard’s blood run cold.

“Pasha?” he asked quietly, hoping to rouse the younger man. Still Pavel stared down at him. “Pasha, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, Leonard,” Pavel answered, his voice tight and mechanical. “I just wanted to watch you, to remember you are as you are now. It may be a while.”

“What might be a while?” he asked, confusion and fear frustrating him.

“Until we can be together again.”

“Oh no,” he said, sitting up and trying to get to his lover but he found himself unable to move. “No, we are not doing this. Not now, not ever. Tell me what is happening.”

Pavel sighed before sitting down and arranging himself across his lover’s lap. “I am…”

“Becoming, I know.” Leonard sighed. “What does it mean, Pasha? I’m scared.”

“Do not be afraid, my Love,” the younger man soothed. “To become the mouthpiece I must expand, I must be able to learn all that the universe has and is and was. The Terran brain normally functions to what level?”

“Science believes that the average Terran brain function fluctuates between nineteen and twenty-four percent depending on the individual and the activity they are involved in at the time of record,” Leonard recited. Suddenly a thought came to him. “Just before you woke up, you were at around thirty-five percent.”

“Yes,” Pavel replied, smiling widely, as if Leonard had discovered some great idea. “And what would happen if a normal Terran were able to increase that percentage? What if something turned on the extra areas of the brain and used them to their full capacity?”

Leonard gasped, unsure if he wanted to continue this conversation. “No one knows,” he whispered. “It’s never been done.” He stopped for a moment and he knew, he just knew what Pavel was going to say next. “What would happen?”

“They would become.”

Looking into the eyes of his love, Leonard knew the truth. The substance they had pumped into Chekov had altered his DNA, had altered him and was increasing his brain capacity until…until what he didn’t know. Would Pavel still be himself?

“How..?” he started before he swallowed hard. “How far are you now?”

“Eight-five percent, I believe,” Pavel whispered, leaning in close. “It won’t be long now. But do not worry Leonard. It is not an ending. There will be no ending for us.”

Pavel leaned forward then, slowly as if he was trying not to spook the older man, pressing a long, slow kiss to his lips. Leonard opened up to him, let him take what he wanted. What else could he do?

When he pulled back, Pavel stood and smiled down at him. “I must go now. It is time.”

Before his eyes, Leonard watched as Pavel’s skin began to shimmer and move, as if it was trying to crawl right off his frame. Then a uniform appeared, black and gold, covering him from neck to toe, boots and all. He gave a small smile before turning on his heel and heading out the door, leaving a stunned and silent doctor laying on the bed, still trying to believe what he had just heard.

Just a few short minutes later, Leonard was able to move again and he shot up from the bed as a red alert began to sound. He quickly threw on his uniform and ran down the corridor to find out what was going on. When he couldn’t reach Pavel on his comm, he tried Jim instead.

“Jim, what in the Sam hill is going on?!” he shouted.

“Bones, you’d better get to the bridge!”

“On my way, Captain!”

He ran faster than he ever had before.

As the turbo lift spit him out on the Bridge, Leonard froze at the sight before him. The entire Bridge crew was standing behind what appeared to be an invisible barrier while Chekov stood before the helm. He appeared to be leaning against the console, but as he got closer, Leonard saw that Pavel’s hands appeared to be _inside_ comm.

“What the…?” he started before he ran face first into the barrier keeping anyone from venturing any further toward the prone man. “Fuck! Jim? What is happening?!”

“I was hoping you could tell us, Bones,” the Captain replied. “He just came on the Bridge and walked up to his station like a normal day. When he started imputing data, Sulu said something to him and he just waved a hand at him. We all got thrown back and haven’t been able to get to him. His hands, Bones. His hands just kinda dissolved into the comm station like he was becoming a part of it, like he was melting into it. I don’t like people becoming my ship, Bones!”

The doctor sighed, his head dropping forward against the invisible barrier. “Pasha,” he whispered, not caring who heard him. “What are you doing?”

The young man turned, his face bright and open as he smiled. “I wanted to give back, Leonard. There is much to say and it would take too long. This is easier.”

“I don’t understand,” he complained.

“You will,” Pavel answered cryptically before turning back to his task at hand. He concentrated for several long minutes while the crew looked on in stunned silence before he slowly pulled his hands free, still looking solid and whole. He turned to walk toward the turbolift, the barrier seamlessly moving with him, before he slipped inside and was gone. 

They all stood frozen, waiting for the barrier to lift. As soon as it was gone, Jim called out, “Computer, locate Ensign Chekov.”

“Ensign Chekov has beamed down to the planet’s surface. He has removed his communicator and is unable to be located at the moment.”

Leonard bolted for the turbolift. He knew exactly where Pavel was going and he was determined to get there before his lover was completely gone.


	10. 100

100

As soon as he had materialized on the planet, Leonard took off in a dead sprint toward the temple. He had to get there before Pavel was completely gone. Bursting through the doors, he pushed past the gaping Sonorans, none of whom tried to stop him as he rushed by.

Lungs burning and legs shaking from the exertion, he refused to stop until he reached the dais. He stumbled to a halt, gasping in huge mouthfuls of air as he tried to calm himself at the sight before him. There was Pavel, surrounded by tentacles of marble, all reaching around him, inside him. He could see the movement of them under his lover’s skin, could see where they impaled his perfectly freckled skin.

Pavel was pressed against the front of the marble, but his hands and arms had seemingly dissolved into the barrier, his skin blue-black where it was pressing into the statue.

Leonard gasped then, unable to remain silent at the sight. Pavel turned then, not his body, just his head, all the way around, to look at Leonard.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he whispered, singularly more frightened than he ever had been in his entire life.

“Leonard,” Pavel breathed, a small smile on his face. “I should have known you would follow.”

“Pasha,” he said, his voice catching on the simple word. “Don’t go.”

“I must, my Love. But do not fear. I will be with you – always.”

“I don’t want that ‘you’ll always be in my heart’ bullshit!” he snapped. “I want you!”

Pavel chuckled, low and soft and so familiar. “And you shall have me, but after a time. Not now. I promise, Leonard.”

Then the tentacles around him began to pulse and sway, pulling him deeper into the statue. He was up past his elbows now as he seemed to phase out of existence.

“I love you,” Leonard whispered, tears streaming down his face. He stood, watching silently as his love dissolved before him, absorbed into the mouthpiece.

The room grew silent and cold. The marble throbbed and pulsed before melting back into a solid mass, leaving no trace of where Pavel had once been. He waited, for what he didn’t know, until a small Sonoran approached him.

“Shoes,” the alien whispered.

Leonard looked down at it in confusion before it whispered again. “Shoes,” this time making a motion that the doctor interpreted to mean he should take off his boots. Once they were removed and Leonard’s bare feet were on the dais, he heard a small, amused voice in his head.

“Hello Leonard.”

He startled and jumped, quickly looking around in alarm. “Hello?” he called out.

“It is me, Leonard,” the voice said again, louder but still in his head.

“Pasha?” he asked, confused. “Why don’t you sound like you?”

“I have become. You are still expecting the speech affectation I had as a human? I have no vocal chords so it is no longer necessary.”

“But…” Leonard started, caught by a sharp wave of emotion. “But that's one of the things that I love about you.”

“Oh, my dear Leonard,” Pavel whispered into his mind then, the sweet lilt of Russian back in his voice. “You are a very sweet man.”

“How?” he asked, whispering in his own mind, unable to speak the words. “How am I supposed to live without you?”

“I will always be with you, Leonard. Soon you will see. If you need me, you only need touch this.”

The marble rippled and a single small tentacle reached out. It hovered before him until the doctor held out his hand. He felt something placed in his upturned palm and when the tentacle was gone, disappeared back to whence it came, he saw a small, spiral amulet lying there. He closed his fingers around it and felt a delicate, delicious buzz pass through his body.

“I will be with you, Leonard. Always.”

He stepped forward, pressing his face, his arms, his chest against the cool surface before sliding down until he was sprawled over dais. He stayed there, weeping until he fell asleep, only to wake the next day in his own bed.

_***Now***_

"Bones. Bones?"

He heard Jim calling his name but he was having such a hard time reconciling the then with the now and did he even really care anymore.

When he reached for another drink, Jim stayed his hand. "I think you've had enough, Bones."

He looked at his captain, his best friend. "I don't think there will ever be enough, Jim."

He reached into his shirt and pulled out the amulet, stroking it lightly, letting it soothe his soul. 

"That's not exactly regulation there, Bones," Jim teased lightly, pointing at the sparkling spiral in his hand.

"You can take it off my cold, dead body," Leonard nearly growled.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Jim said, his hands raised in defense. "I wasn't saying you couldn't wear it. I was just saying...I don't know what I was saying. Maybe...maybe you should got to bed. Sleep it off?"

Leonard nodded. He was right, he wasn't himself. Hadn't been himself. Not since Pasha was gone.

"Alright, Jim," he conceded. "I'm off duty tomorrow. Why don't you come by for dinner after your shift?"

"Sure, Bones," the Captain said, watching him closely. "Get some sleep, alright?"

"Sure thing, Jim." 

Leonard left 10 Forward, slowly making his way toward his empty room. As he walked down the empty hallways, the lights shown the way, illuminating the corridors as he entered them, directing him which way to go. The turbolift opened before he even entered and moved before he was able to enter the floor he wanted. As he approached his quarters, the door automatically opened, the code entered and ready before he even walked through. He walked into his quarters as the lights came up to fifty percent without his command.

"Hello Leonard," Pavel's voice sounded through the room. 

"Hello Pasha," he responded. 

"You did not attend my funeral," Pasha said, his voice filled his amusement at the situation. "It was a lovely service. Many people asked about you."

Leonard scoffed at that. "Like I told Jim, I'm not going to a funeral who someone who isn't dead."

"So passionate," the voice whispered. Leonard could swear he could feel the breath of it against his skin. "Undress for me, Leonard."

He complied quickly, stripping his uniform off and standing in the center of the room, waiting for the next command. 

"Get on the bed."

He did. 

"Touch yourself, Leonard. I wish to see you."

He began to run his hands over his body, feeling his skin, the smoothness of it, finding where there used to be scars, never fully healed. They weren't there anymore. He had experimented and cut himself on the webbing between the thumb and finger on his left hand just that morning. There was no mark there now. The skin was smooth and clean, no sign that he'd ever hurt himself. 

"Faster healing and now I can't get drunk?" Leonard asked. "Not fair, Pasha. I want to get drunk."

"For that, I am sorry," was his answer. "Increased metabolism. It is a side affect. It will only continue this way."

"How long?" he asked out into the room.

"I do not know," Pasha answered, his mechanical voice sounding curious. "What is your cognitive output today?"

"Twenty seven percent."

"Excellent. You are coming along nicely. But this type of delivery has never been attempted before. It will be slower for you, I believe."

"How long?" he asked again.

"If my calculations are correct, I believe it will be one year, four months, seventeen days and twenty three minutes."

"And then...?"

"And then you will become."

Leonard sighed. He clenched his eyes closed as silent tears slid down his cheeks.

"Shhhh," Pasha soothed quietly. "Touch me, Leonard."

He reached up and wrapped his fingers around the amulet. The buzz traveled through his fingers, lighting his skin on fire, electrifying his nerve endings, making him ache with the need to please the love trapped in the talisman in his hand. His other hand continued to roam over his body, down his stomach, across his hip, trailing down between his own legs. Gently, he pressed just behind his balls, teasing, tempting himself. Finally, he moved up, wrapping his long fingers around his aching cock. He stroked himself, strongly, surely, just like Pavel always did.

"Beautiful," he heard, whispered in his head. "So beautiful."

"Pasha," he answered, stroking harder, faster. The amulet pulsed in his hand, the pleasure emanating from it getting stronger, all consuming. 

"Come for me, Leonard," the voice commanded. His back arched as he cried out, his entire being focus on the ecstacy pulsing through him. Slowly, he came down from the high, panting, gasping, barely holding back the tears that threatened to fall. "So good. So good for me, Leonard."

Once he caught his breath, he looked down at his body, surprised to see that he was clean and dry. Shaking his head, he laughed softly. "Taking care of me?"

"And I always will until we are together again."

"I miss you, Pasha," Leonard whispered into the quiet night.

"Shhh," he soothed the doctor again. "Sleep now, Leonard. I'm right here."

The lights turned down. The blanket covered his body. Leonard curled around the metal spiral, clinging to the last piece of his love, letting sleep take him, knowing it was only a matter of time until he was with his love again.

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with me on this journey. I hope the ending was satisfying for you as it was for me. I will miss these boys. 
> 
> And thanks for reading and commenting.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try to update regularly on this one. I've written several chapters ahead so hopefully I can write this pretty quickly. I've taken a while to write this because I think I'm afraid that after I finish this, I won't have any more Chekov/McCoy fic to write and I'm not ready to let these boys go yet.
> 
> Yup. Still grieving. :(


End file.
